Tuesday 1st August, 2017                     1540

A lovely cool and rainy day today with sunshine and 28C forecast for tomorrow.

With all my meticulous planning, I omitted to look up train times to the airport. I did so this morning. The cheapest way for me to get there is a bus to the station from here and then the train. 23.5y all in or 27y first class. Except the trains don’t run as regularly as I thought, at least not when I want them to. If I were a trifle braver than I am when it comes to losing large amounts on missed flights I might perhaps have chanced the train that gave me less than an hour to get to the terminal, check in and clear security. Considering these days I am always stopped for something they think is in my case, not wise. But the earlier train would leave me with THREE HOURS to kill.

Fine if there was a bar I could sit with a beer and read my book but a dry airport? And it would mean getting up at 0600 for a 1355 flight (which was delayed 77 minutes today by the way). I really would have thought there would be a train every half hour or at worst, every hour but no, two-hourly intervals.

I decided I could leave three hours later if I took a taxi which costs 200y. Then I wondered if Dean the computer guy was free. I could pay him 100y to take me in his car. No, he is taking his wife and child to the sunny beach to play. Beach???? We’re in the middle of desert and mountains!!! I really must ask him later where this beach is!

He kindly suggested I should take the airport shuttle. I know about it and that you can leave from near the train station or somewhere near here and that there is one of those every hour. No idea what times and no idea where the nearest departure point is, only the furthest. I haven’t a clue where the near one leaves from anyway as I can‘t find the Golden Lily hotel on Google maps. No, I will take a taxi. He asked for my flight number and sometime later informed me his friend would collect me at 1035 and take me to get the coach! It leaves at 1100 and arrives at the terminal at noon. Perfect, just under 2 hours to kill, enjoying free non-alcoholic drinks and snacks in the 1st class lounge. I only hope the flight is not delayed.

I couldn’t recall if there was a smoking booth so tried to find out online. Did you know there is a website called airportsmokers.com???  According to that, there is a booth. Just to be sure I searched it for PEK and sure enough, they say no smoking anywhere. Handy site to know about!

I had a bit of bad news when I got up this morning though. There was an email from Joanna apologising as she has to return to her hometown. Her friend, a chap who was her classmate in high school, has invited her to his wedding so she will be away until the Sunday night. I arrive on the Thursday. All is not lost though, we can meet up on Monday and Tuesday nights before I leave for Wuhu on the Wednesday.

As for dinner? I decided to be exceedingly lazy, after my shower (I have been packing and it’s all done bar my medicines and laptop) I will toddle off out for some noodles - that won’t leave ANY washing up!!

Next stop Hefei.